Effectiveness of Using Mobile Technologies in Teaching and Learning

Introduction

The 21^st century presents its citizen with new choices, opportunities and challenges due to the ubiquitous presence of technology which has permeated all facet of human of life: business, administration, government, education, and so on. The profound shift in the academic fields must be viewed from the perspectives on the new possibilities that technology has brought to the field. Traditional teaching and learning paradigms have been shaken by the impact of the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into educational practice and the acquisition of skill and literacy in the usage of information and communication technology as necessary tools which will lead students to become knowledge creators and users. Thus, the modern society is deeply immersed in knowledge, a society based upon critical, rational and reflexive use of and distribution of information (Gilbert, 2003), a society in which the most outstanding communication means are telemetric networks. One of the greatest challenges to overcome in the 21^st century is for teachers and learners to achieve competency in the use of technology, instead of being enslaved by it.

Mobile learning refers to any activity that allows individuals to be more productive when consuming, interacting with, orienting information, and mediated through a compact digital portable device that the individual carries on a regular basis, has reliable connectivity and fits in a pocket or purse (Wexler, Brown, David, Rogers, & Wagner, 2008). Mobile learning (M-learning) is the use of mobile technology to aid in the learning, reference or exploration of information useful to an individual at that moment or in a specific use context (float learning).

M-learning requires a whole new strategy for assessment. Traditional e-learning often includes a final knowledge check/assessment with the initial results recorded on a Learning Management System (LMS) but given that there is often a time delay before the learner is actually meant to put the learning into action. It can be difficult to measure and evaluate long-term behaviour change and the effects of the outcome. The time between M-learning taking place and the learner putting what they have learnt into action is relatively short; so, it can be easier to measure behaviour at change and impact on the business/outcome (Aurion Learning, 2012).

Researchers have argued that these technologies have the potential to improve efficiency and effectiveness in teaching and learning (Dubendorf, 2003), and to challenge the essence of face-to-face teaching and learning (Traxler & Kukulska-Hulme, 2005). In examining the benefits of mobile technologies in education Kim, Mims, and Holmes (2006) summarized them in the following: (a) Mobility, which is associated with the advantage of accessing information anytime, anywhere; (b) Information management capacity, which is associated with the digitization of information and electronic-based management; and (c) Beaming capability which allows the sharing of files instantly and in real-time.